Jana
by dnachemlia
Summary: An unpleasant discovery in a Virginia forest brings back painful memories for a member of Gibbs' team. Written for the NFA "When the Past Returns" and "Family Crisis" Challenges. Set in the same 'verse as Whirlwind.
1. Chapter 1

**Jana**

Written for the _When the Past Returns_ and _Family Crisis_ Challenges

Genre: Family/Tragedy/Angst/Friendship. Pre-NCIS and Season 9

Characters: Tim and the rest of the MCRT, Sarah McGee, OCs.

Rating: FR 15/T for subject matter.

Summary: An unpleasant discovery in a Virginia forest brings back unpleasant memories for a member of Gibbs' team.

This story is in the same 'verse as my fic _Whirlwind_. It's slightly AU, since here Tim's dad is dead in the show timeline. You don't really need to read _Whirlwind_ to understand what's going on, though.

Disclaimer: Settings and unfamiliar characters are fictitious or used fictitiously. I don't own anything else. Pity.

Warning: The first scene might be disturbing to some readers. Read at your own risk.

This is a slightly different type of storytelling for me. I hope it works.

**Chapter 1**

_***November 3rd, 2010, near Burnsville, Virginia, 6:00 AM***_

The sky was still dark when Beth Porter reached her tree stand and climbed up to her perch above the forest floor. She settled back in her seat and took a deep breath, enjoying the silence of the pre-dawn woods. This was her favorite part of hunting season: the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and solitude that a morning in the woods brought. She often wished she was here with a camera to capture some of the beauty of her surroundings. Instead she carried the Winchester Featherweight that had served her well for nearly twenty years. _A camera won't put meat in the freezer_, she thought with a rueful smile.

Several minutes passed and she was able to see more of the forest around her as the sky began to lighten. Slowly surveying her surroundings, she kept her eyes peeled for the tell-tale signs of her quarry. A soft crunch of leaves in the undergrowth drew her attention and she raised her rifle, calmly waiting for the intruder to appear. Soon her patience was rewarded and the animal stepped out in the open. She sighted in and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as she pulled the trigger. The roar of a gunshot shattered the silence of the woods and the deer turned to run, bounding away a few yards before staggering and then, to her dismay, disappearing into a ravine.

"Crap."

Beth slung her rifle over her shoulder and climbed down from the tree stand. She walked over to the spot where she had seen the deer and soon found the blood trail, which she followed to the edge of the ravine. She looked down and saw the deer lying at the bottom, about eight feet down.

"Double crap."

She pulled off her knapsack and searched inside for the length of cord she carried, just in case, and started searching for a safe way down into the ravine. Finally she spotted an area with a more gentle slope and carefully made her way down. She had almost reached the bottom when part of the bank gave way underneath and she fell, landing on her butt and sliding the rest of the way to the bottom. After giving herself a few moments to calm her pounding heart and to do a quick assessment of any possible injuries, she managed to get her feet under her and put a steadying hand towards the ground. As she tried to rise, her hand came in contact with something smooth and rounded. She looked down, expecting to see a rock, but when she realized what she was touching Beth Porter did something she didn't normally do.

She screamed.

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA , 7:30 AM* **_

"Come _on_, Tim, we're going to be late!"

"Jana, slow down! You know we're supposed to stick together."

"Well we could, if you two weren't such _slowpokes_."

Tim rolled his eyes and wondered why the elder of his two sisters couldn't be more like his youngest sibling, who was obediently trotting along next to him, her small hand gripped in his own.

"Jana, slow down, or I'll make you hold my hand all the way to school."

"I don't need to hold hands, I'm not a baby!"

"Then stop acting like it!"

Sarah giggled. "Jana's a baby…"

"Shut up, Sarah."

"Hey! You don't talk to her like that," Tim growled as he finally managed to catch up to his errant sibling and grabbed her hand.

"Let me go!"

"No. Mom said we have to stick together. Either you walk with us or I drag you."

"You're such a jerk."

"Don't call Timmy names!" Sarah yelled and stomped her foot. "Say you're sorry."

Jana sent her sister and her brother each a glare. "Fine. I'm sorry." She jerked her hand free from Tim's but didn't surge ahead and Tim let out a sign of relief. _One battle won._ He picked up his pace a little and both girls scrambled to keep up. After several minutes, Jana let out a heavy sigh.

"When's Dad going to be home?"

"He has two more months on this deployment. You know that."

"I wish he'd get back sooner. I hate it here."

_You and me both_, thought Tim, but he knew his reasons were quite different than his sister's.

"I like it," chirped Sarah. "I think the woods are pretty."

"I'd rather be near the ocean," Jana muttered. "Why couldn't we stay near Norfolk?"

"Because Mom wanted to be closer to Nana. You know that, too."

They walked I silence for several minutes before Jana spoke again. "Where do you think we'll go next?"

"Probably back to Alameda," Tim replied. "I heard Mom and Dad talking about it."

"I wish we could stay in one place for more than a year. I hate moving around so much."

"I think that's one thing we can all agree on."

"It's a pain. A new school every year, and I have to make new friends all over again. Guess that doesn't bother you though, since you don't _have_ any friends."

"Jana! That wasn't nice!" Sarah yelled and smacked her sister on the arm.

"Sarah, don't hit your sister," Tim instructed, even though for a brief moment he had wanted to do the same.

"Why are you so mean to Timmy?"

"'Cause he's bossy."

"So? He's the big brother, that's his job."

_And the pay stinks…_

"I'm not bossy. You just never listen."

"Why should I?"

"Because…I'm trying to keep you safe, OK?" Tim had heard a couple of the teachers talking about a girl who had gone missing, and despite the grief they gave him, he didn't want either of his sisters to disappear like that.

After a few more moments of silence, Jana cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, Tim."

He glanced down and saw from her expression that she was sincere. He reached out and ruffled her hair, causing her to duck away.

"Hey!"

"Apology accepted," he said with a grin. Finally her mulish expression faded and she grinned in return as they continued on the path to the school.

Soon the familiar buildings came into view and Jana separated herself from her siblings, but still stayed close enough to keep Tim from worrying. When they reached the gate of the elementary school, Jana was surrounded by a group of her friends and they skipped off, leaving Tim alone with Sarah. He gently squeezed her hand and they made their way to the Kindergarten classroom, where he left her with the slightly harried-looking teacher. Finally, he squared his shoulders and headed across the street to the high school, mentally preparing himself for another day of hell.

_***November 4th, 200, near Burnsville, Virginia, 9:30 AM***_

Sheriff Bud Clark popped another antacid in his mouth as he watched the activity in the ravine below him. His deputy Billy Kirwin was-perhaps too enthusiastically for Bud's tastes—photographing the collection of bones scattered along the eroding side of the former creek bed, and the younger man had already prepared a container to transport the bones after they were collected. The discovery of these bones the previous day had prompted a frantic call to the sheriff's office, and when he had gone to talk to the caller, Mrs. Porter had calmed considerably. She had led him out to the sight and after he had been convinced that what she found was, in fact of police interest, he had called Billy out to help with the scene.

"How long do you think these have been here?" Billy asked as he finished the last set of pictures.

"No idea. Looks like they eroded out of the bank," Bud replied, and Billy turned to look where Bud had pointed. He immediately went over and started photographing the exposed earth and Bud sighed. _One of these days…_

After he finished, Billy began to collect the bones, placing them gently in the container. He frowned as he picked up the bone that had started the whole thing. "Looks kinda small. Think it's a kid? Or maybe a midget?" he asked, his smile fading as it became quite apparent his boss didn't appreciate the joke.

"Do I look like one of those bone docs to you? Just make sure you don't miss any, and I'll see if I can find someone to take a look at them. They might even be too old to worry about."

"OK, Sheriff. I was just wondering where we should start looking, trying to figure out who it is."

"Don't think it's going to be that easy, Billy."

Once Billy had retrieved all the bones he could find, Bud tossed down a rope and Billy tied it around the box so Bud could haul it up to the top of the ravine. Billy himself found a longer route out, and soon they were on their way back to the truck.

After they had reached their truck and were on their way back to the office, Bud listened with half an ear and Billy rambled on about their new "case". Bud did not share his deputy's enthusiasm, as he was well aware of how many of these types of cases went unsolved, especially considering the apparent age of the remains. Bud wondered if there was anyone who even still remembered the person, or still thought about what had happened to them.

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 12:33 PM***_

Charlotte McGee glanced at the clock and groaned as she frantically searched for her keys. She was already going to be late picking Sarah up from Kindergarten, which also meant she was going to be late for work. I really don't need this today.

The ringing of the phone startled her and she grabbed it, thankful they had invested in a cordless. She continued her search as she answered.

"Hello?"

"_Charlotte McGee?"_

The tone of the voice stopped her in her tracks and she took a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing heart.

"Yes?"

"_This is Jennifer Martin calling from Roanoke Community Hospital. We have you listed as an emergency contact for Alice Gordon."_

"What happened?"

"_I'm afraid she was in an automobile accident and was brought in to our ER."_

"Oh my God…is she going to be OK?"

"I believe so. The doctors need to talk to you before she's released. She's going to need someone to watch over her for a few days."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She punched the button to end the call and immediately dialed a number.

"Becky? It's Charlotte. My mother was in an accident and—"

"_Is she OK?"_

"I'm going over to find out. Can you-?"

"_I'll cover your shift. Just take care of your mother and let me know what's going on when you find out."_

"Thanks, Becky, I owe you." She hung up and then dialed a final number. "Cindy? It's Charlotte. Can you pick up Sarah from Kindergarten?"

"_Sure. What's going on?"_

"My mother was in an accident and I'm going to Roanoke to check on her. Can you tell Tim and Jana when they come to pick up Sarah and keep them there until I get back?"

"_No problem. Is Alice going to be OK?"_

"I hope so. Thanks, Cindy."

She dropped the phone back on its charger and finally spotted her keys. She grabbed them and ran out the door, relieved that at least she wouldn't have to worry about her kids.

_***November 8th, 2010, Bath County Sheriff's Office, 1:00 PM***_

"Any luck?"

Bud glanced up at his deputy and sighed. "I found someone to look at the bones, but it will be a few days before they can get up here to get them. You?"

"I've got a few possibles, but we'll need more info before I can go any further." Billy paused, an uncomfortable expression on his face. "I never realized how many people go missing around here."

"Yeah, well, most of the time it's because they want to, I reckon."

"Even the kids?"

"The runaways, maybe, but the rest…no, I don't think they do."

That's gotta be awful for the parents…"

"Yeah."

"Sheriff…do you think we'll ever figure out who this is?"

Bud sighed. He knew the chances were slim, but he also knew things in that area were getting better.

"Hope so, Billy."

"Yeah…me, too."

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 3:40 PM***_

"Hey, Geek!"

Tim cringed and automatically hunched his shoulders when that hateful voice rang through the mostly empty hallway. He had been trying to avoid Barry Watkins for the last week, but the boy had an almost uncanny ability to find the object of his daily torments. Tim tried to ignore the taunt and kept walking, but the sound of quickly approaching footsteps told him he wouldn't be getting off so easy.

"I'm talking to you, Geek!" Barry snarled and grabbed Tim's shoulder, spinning the younger and smaller boy around to face him.

"What is it now, Barry?" Tim asked softly, although he knew he wasn't likely to get a coherent answer.

Barry looked at Tim with contempt. "You think you're so much better than me, don't you? Mr. Smarty Pants Teacher's Pet."

Tim sighed. "No. Just because I actually _do_ my homework, doesn't mean I think I'm better. And I'm not a teacher's pet."

"Yeah, right. Perfect scores on every test. You make the rest of us look bad."

"Well maybe if you would actually study-."

"Shut up! You messed up the curve. Again."

"Mrs. Patterson doesn't curve—"

"Well she would if you didn't get perfect scores all the time."

"Look, just because you failed doesn't mean—"

"Your fault, Geek. So I tell you what you're going to do to make up for it," Barry said in a low voice as he loomed over Tim. "You're going to do my homework, and you're going to bomb the next few tests. Even things out, it's only fair."

"No. I won't do that. I won't do either of those things."

"You will if you know what's good for you."

"No, I won't. Now leave me alone, or—"

"Or what? You'll whine to the principle? He won't care. Nobody cares about you, Geek."

Tim just shook his head and tried to walk away but Barry grabbed his arm. He tried to pull free but suddenly he felt himself being lifted off his feet.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

He caught sight of the Barry's face, twisted with fury, just before the other boy threw him against the wall. His head connected with the cinderblock and felt a blinding flash of pain before the blackness engulfed him.

_***October **_18th_**, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 3:50 PM***_

Jana watched building across the street, waiting for her brother to emerge. She tapped her foot impatiently, but it didn't help: Tim was nowhere to be seen.

"Come on, Jana, let's go."

"I can't, Bri, I have to wait for my brother."

"Why?"

"He doesn't want me to go anywhere alone."

"You won't be alone, you'll be with us. Besides, I'm sure he'll catch up."

"Yeah, probably…but I really should wait for him."

A couple of her friends snorted and she turned to them. "What?"

"Must be hard, being a baby sister."

"I'm not a baby," she replied with more than a touch of anger.

"Yeah, so show him that. You don't need a babysitter, do you?"

"No, of course not."

"Well then ditch him. Come on, Allie found this really cool cave back in the woods. We're going to go check it out."

"But—"

"We'll be home way before your mom. Don't worry."

Jana took one last glance at the high school. She didn't really need Tim to walk her home. She'd been telling him that ever since they started at this school. He could survive one day of not being the annoying big brother, right? Finally she turned to her friends with a grin.

"OK, let's go."

The girls linked arms and skipped off, disappearing into the woods. Five minutes later an ambulance screeched to a halt in front of the high school.

_***November 15, 2010, Knoxville, TN 4:00 PM***_

Dr. Aubrey Finnegan slipped on a pair of gloves and opened the container sitting on his lab table. He was a little annoyed that he or one of his colleagues hadn't been called in during the collection of these remains, but unfortunately it was an all too common occurrence. Rural cops weren't often up on the latest procedures and technologies, and would collect the bones as they would any other evidence, destroying a lot of the information that could only be obtained by a specialist examining the bones _in situ_. At least in this case there were good photographs of the site, but a lot of the details that would help in establishing time since death, or even whether or not the remains were recent, had been lost.

One by one, Dr. Finnegan laid the bones out on the table in anatomical position. The skeleton wasn't complete, either due to animal scavenging or, most likely, because the officer had missed a few, but he would work with what he had.

After examining the collection, he determined that he was dealing with a single individual, and it was a sub-adult. Many of the epiphyseal plates were unfused, and the presence of emerging teeth in the maxilla told him that this was a fairly young child, no more than twelve. He began the process of documentation, the first of many steps required to complete the biological profile of the remains and hopefully to determine to whom they belonged.

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 4:50 PM***_

"Wasn't that cool?" Allie asked and grinned at her companions. She was met with a chorus of "no" from the other three girls.

"It was a cave. There weren't even any formations in it," grumbled Jana.

"Yeah, but it's a place no one knows about. That makes it cool."

"Whatever."

They reached the driveway of Allie's house and stopped to check the area for signs of grown-ups.

"We should go back tomorrow. Maybe there's more to it."

"Let's not," said Bri.

"You all are no fun."

"We know," they replied with a grin. The remaining three girls said their goodbyes to Allie and headed off to the next house. After leaving Bri at her house, Jana and Maggie continued on until they reached Maggie's residence.

"You OK to walk home from here?" Maggie asked, and Jana shrugged.

"Why not, it's just two more blocks."

"Yeah, but it's starting to get dark."

"Not for another hour or two. I'll be fine. At least until I get home and face the wrath of Tim."

Maggie giggled. "He'll get over it."

"Yeah, I guess. See you later, Maggie."

"See ya."

Jana started walking toward her own house, imagining what her brother's reaction would be. It wasn't going to be fun, _that_ was for sure.

She was only a few hundred yards from her front door when she heard a car pull up beside her and she turned to see a car that looked like an unmarked police car. The man inside rolled down the window.

"Jana?"

"Yes?" she asked, immediately wary of the stranger.

"Your mom sent me to pick you up. She's at the hospital."

Jana's eyes widened in alarm. "What happened?"

"Your brother got hurt. Your mom's with him."

Jana felt a rush of guilt. She had been off having fun with her friends while Tim…

"Is he going to be OK?"

"I don't know. Your mom can tell you when we get to the hospital. Get in."

He reached across and opened the door and Jana quickly climbed inside.

"Buckle up," he said, and she immediately complied. The last thing her mother needed was for her to get hurt, too. The man guided the car away from the curb and Jana leaned back in her seat, her thoughts on her brother and just how bad he could be hurt. She never noticed the satisfied smile that crossed the man's face as they drove off into the ascending night.

TBC…

This should be three chapters. Next will be posted tomorrow night (hopefully).


	2. Chapter 2

**A friend pointed out that I should probably include more warnings on this fic. It might be difficult for some people to take, especially those with children. I apologize, and I understand if you want to skip this one, but I would appreciate it if you would read the notes at the end of the final chapter.**

* * *

**Jana**

**Chapter 2**

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 5:40 PM***_

The first thing Tim noticed was the noise; muted voices, broken by an occasional yell, hurried footsteps, the clatter of metal on tile. The next thing he noticed was the pain and he moaned as it seemed to engulf him, starting with his head and spreading down his back. He tried to open his eyes but a wave of nausea overwhelmed him and he felt someone help him roll to the side as he started to gag on the bile forcing its way up his throat. When at last his stomach was empty, he tried to open his eyes again as he was eased onto his back but the room started to spin. He clenched his jaw against another round of nausea and groaned, barely noticing the cool cloth being wiped over his face. Finally a voice penetrated his cloud of misery.

"Easy, sweetie, you'll be OK."

"Mom?" He finally managed to open his eyes and flinched as an unfamiliar face came into view. "Who…?" He tried to move away, but gentle hands held him in place.

"Take it easy. It's OK."

The tone of the woman's voice soothed him slightly and he relaxed a little as he closed his eyes to ease the sensation of spinning.

"Dizzy?" He nodded and winced as the nausea returned once again. "It will pass. Just stay still."

"OK…"

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Tim…othy McGee."

"That's good, Tim. Do you remember what happened?"

He tried to think but the memories were just out of reach. "No…sorry."

"That's all right, Tim."

"Where…is my mom?"

A sigh. "We're trying to locate her. Don't worry, she'll be here soon."

"OK…"

"Feeling any better?"

"My head…hurts."

"Let's see if we can do something about that, OK? But you need to stay awake."

"I'll try…"

Tim felt himself start to drift off and as he fought to hold on to consciousness, he had the strange, nagging sensation that he was forgetting something very important…

_***October 18th, 1991, Roanoke, VA 6:10 PM***_

"I'm fine, Charlotte. It's nothing to worry about."

"Mom, you were knocked unconscious, you have a broken arm and your knee was dislocated. I'd say that's something to worry about."

"But I'll heal. Nothing major. You don't need to stick around on my account, I'll be fine." Alice patted her daughter's cheek with her good hand.

"Mother! You know someone has to keep an eye on you once they let you out of here—"

"Which won't be until tomorrow at the latest. Go home, get some rest. I promise I'll be fine."

Charlotte sighed in frustration. "You're more stubborn than Dad, you know that?"

"And where do you think you get it from?" Alice replied with a grin, which caused her daughter to snort in amused disgust. "That's very unattractive, young lady." Charlotte rolled her eyes and Alice laughed. "Go on, get out of here. Go take care of my grandbabies. You can bring them to see me once I'm back home."

"Who's going to take care of _you?_"

"I'll manage."

"You shouldn't have to 'manage'. I'll bring you home with me until you—"

"You don't have the room, dear. As much as I would love to spend some time with the kids, it's going to be too crowded."

"It's fine. The girls can bunk with me."

Alice sighed. "Stubborn child. Fine. If it will make you happy."

"Ecstatic. I'll stop by your house and pack a few things before I pick you up tomorrow."

Before Alice could respond, there was a knock on the door and a nurse pocked her head in. "Mrs. McGee?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"There's a call for you at the front desk."

Charlotte suddenly felt a chill in the pit of her stomach. "What it's about?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just relaying the message."

Charlotte glanced at her mother, who nodded in understanding, and she followed the nurse down to the front desk. The receptionist handed her the phone and she took a deep breath before putting the receiver to her ear.

"_This is Mrs. McGee."_

"_This is Kelly Albright calling from Central Hospital in Greenville Heights. Your son, Timothy, was brought in to our ER—"_

"Oh my God…what happened?"

"_Apparently there was an incident at the school. He's awake now, but we're going to have to keep him overnight. He has a rather severe concussion."_

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She gave the receiver back to the receptionist and turned to the nurse. "Can you tell my mother—"

"I'll let Mrs. Gordon know."

"Thank you." She rushed for the door.

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 6:25 PM***_

Cindy Armstrong woke with a start and sat up as she glanced around the room. Her gaze came to rest on the small figure curled up in the chair by the fireplace and she smiled, surprised that Sarah was still asleep. Cindy checked her watch and nearly choked when she saw the time. _Damn! I can't believe I slept that long._ She had been working on very little sleep for days, but she had never crashed like she apparently had that afternoon. _Why didn't Tim and Jana wake me up? _She got up and walked over to check on Sarah, who was still sleeping peacefully, and then went to check the rest of the house for the other two McGee children.

She expected to find them down in the basement, quietly doing homework or reading, as they often did when they stayed with her, and her anxiety increased significantly when she realized that they were not in the house. _Where could they be?_ She checked the back yard, found it empty, and then went around to the front. The key was still under the mat, and the front door was locked. She reached full panic mode when she realized that they had apparently never made it to her house.

_Did they get kept after school? No, even if they had, they wouldn't be there this late._ She picked up the phone and dialed the number for the high school, but there was no answer. She doubted that they would have gone home without Sarah, but she tried their home number anyway. Still no answer, so she tried Charlotte's work number. Becky told her that Charlotte hadn't called, but the local hospital had called looking for her, although they hadn't shared with Becky why.

_One of the kids? Oh God…_

She pulled out the phone book and looked up the number for the local hospital before dialing with shaking fingers. She asked if either Tim or Jana had been admitted, and waited anxiously while the receptionist put her on hold. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the receptionist informed her that Tim had been admitted, but she could give her any other information at the present time. Cindy put the phone back on the cradle and lowered herself into one of the chairs as the strength in her legs gave out. One question had been answered, but there was one other major question that she desperately needed to be resolved.

Where was Jana?

_***January 31st, 2011, Knoxville, TN 6:30 PM***_

Dr. Finnegan leaned back in his chair and stared at his computer screen at the report he was writing, but his mind was on the collection of bones down in his lab. He had been working on the case, when he could, for over two months, but some of the questions he had still remained unanswered. The biggest question was the date of death. It wasn't recent, of that he was sure. The weathering and color of the bones suggested that they had been buried, and then exposed to the elements for some time. Unfortunately that wasn't much help when narrowing down a likely candidate, considering the number of children that went missing in any given year.

He picked up the stack of pictures that had accompanied the bones when they had been given to him and started to flip through them for the images he wanted. The most useful pictures were those of the bank from which the bones had eroded, and the tree roots that grew through the old burial. He wasn't an expert in this area, but he was willing to bet that, based on what he could see, the bones had been buried for at least ten years, probably longer.

He pulled out his rolodex, which he still preferred over any electronic storage and retrieval system, and flipped through until he found the name he wanted. He dialed the number and paused, hoping she hadn't already gone home for the evening.

"Amy? It's Aubrey Finnegan. I'm fine, thanks. Listen, I need your help with a case I'm working on right now. No, just pictures, but I might be able to get us back out to the original site. Yes, I know, that's not ideal. You will? Thanks. I owe you one. When can you stop by?" He checked his calendar as she did the same. "The 15th? Got it. Thanks again."

He marked the date on his calendar and let out a small sigh of relief. The botanist's input might not provide all the information he needed, but at least it would be better than what he had now.

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 6:31 PM***_

Tim opened his eyes and was relieved to see that the room was no longer spinning…or at least not as bad as it had been.

"Hey, Tim, feeling better?"

He looked up and saw the nurse that had been with him when he first woke up. "A little."

"That's good. Your mother is on her way here. We're going to take you up to have a CAT scan done soon, just to check you out. Have you had one before?"

"No…"

"That's OK. It won't hurt, I promise. How's the pain?"

"My head… still hurts a little. My back, too."

"On a scale of one to ten?"

"Maybe…a six."

She nodded in understanding. "You took quite a hit."

"What happened to me?"

A strange expression crossed her face, as if she wasn't sure how to answer, and also wasn't happy with any answer she could give. Tim tried again to remember how he had wound up in the hospital, but the memories still wouldn't surface.

"You were…well, thrown, I guess, against a wall and you hit your head really hard."

"Who…?" Suddenly something clicked. "Barry. He…was mad…I don't remember why."

"It's OK."

Tim closed his eyes, still feeling that he was forgetting something much more important. He felt himself start to drift off again and he fought against it. He needed to remember. What was he forgetting?

One more piece clicked into place and his eyes snapped open. He finally knew what it was.

"Jana_…"_

_***February 15, 2011, Bath County Sheriff's Office, VA, 6:32 PM***_

The ringing of his desk phone drew Bud's attention and he picked up the receiver. "Sheriff Clark speaking. Oh, hello Dr. Finnegan, how's it going? What?" Bud's eyebrows drew together in puzzlement. "Yeah, we can find the site again. Why?" He listened, not quite what to make of what he was hearing. "You need samples. Of what?" He listened again, and groaned softly. "Lucky we didn't get much from that bad storm a couple of weeks ago, so you should be able to get out there. OK. All right, I'll see you both tomorrow. Dress warm."

Bud dropped the phone back in the cradle and shook his head. _All that for a bunch of bones…I just hope it's worth it._

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 6:35 PM***_

Deputy Sheriff Ray Becker guided his cruiser to a halt in front of the McGee residence and killed the engine. He took a quick look around before he climbed out of the cruiser and started up the sidewalk toward the front door of the small Cape Cod-style house. When he reached the house he rang the doorbell and waited several moments before rapping his knuckles against the door.

"Police. Open up," he called, but still nothing. He noticed the next-door neighbor poke his head out and he waved to get the man's attention. "Hey, Chuck. I'm looking for one of the McGee kids, Jana. Have you seen her?"

Chuck shook his head. "Sorry, Ray, I haven't seen anyone around there since I got home."

"When was that?"

"About quarter after five, I guess. It's been pretty quiet. What's going on?"

"The boy got hurt at school, and we're trying to round up the rest of the family. I think some signals got crossed somewhere, but better to be safe than sorry."

"Understood. If I see her I'll let you know."

"You do that. Later, Chuck."

The man gave Ray a mock salute and went back inside. Ray scanned the neighborhood again but saw no trace of the girl. He knew he'd have to check with the other neighbors, but first he had to report what he knew so far, so he quickly walked back to his cruiser and picked up the com."

"Debbie? It's Ray. I'm at the McGee house, no sign of the kid. Better tell Gary to start organizing a search."

"_He's checking with the teachers to see if any of them might know who saw her last."_

"All right, I'll do a little more checking here to see if anyone saw anything. I really hope she's at a friend's house or something."

"_Yeah, me too. I'll let you know if we hear anything."_

"Roger." He put the com back on its hook and headed for the house next door, fighting back the terrible idea that was starting to creep into his mind.

_Something tells me this is going to be a long night…_

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 7:15 PM***_

Sheriff Gary Keller briefly studied the group in front of him before he began asking the questions that would hopefully bring the information they needed, and soon.

"All right, tell me what happened after school." The three youngest members of the group glanced at each other with frightened eyes and he gave them a reassuring smile. "You're not in trouble. We just need to know what happened."

Briana Taylor was the first to speak. "Jana was waiting for her brother, and he was late." She paused, obviously remembering why. "Is he going to be OK?"

"He'll be fine. Go on."

"We…well, Allie suggested that we all go check out this place she found. Jana wanted to wait for Tim, but we…we convinced her to come with us."

Gary could see the guilt on the girl's face, plain as day, but he didn't have time to comfort her. "Then what happened?"

"We went to the cave I found," Allison Merchant replied. "We stayed there about an hour and then we went home. I…we stopped at my house first and I went inside. That's all I know." A tear slipped down her cheek and her mother put a comforting hand on her shoulder while her father shifted uncomfortably. No doubt both parents were glad their daughter had made it safely home, and were feeling guilty for their thoughts at the same time.

"We…Maggie, Jana, and me, we walked to my house and when we got there I went inside," Briana continued. "I saw them walking towards Maggie's house."

All eyes turned toward the third girl and she gulped. "When we got to my house, I asked Jana if she was OK to walk the rest of the way and she said she was. It's only two blocks…"

"And that's the last time any of you saw her?" The all nodded. "OK. Did she ever say anything about being unhappy at home, or that she was thinking about running away?"

The three girls exchanged looks. "She didn't like being away from her Dad, but she said that was just the way things were," Maggie replied.

"Where is her father?"

"She said he works on a ship."

"Mr. McGee is in the Navy," Anna Olson answered for her daughter. "Charlotte said he'll be deployed until December."

Gary took a deep breath. He hated the possibility he now had to consider. "Did any of you see anyone following you, or Jana? Or anyone around that looked out of place?" They all shook their heads and he turned his attention to the parents. "Have you noticed anyone paying extra attention to the girls recently? Either someone you know, or a stranger?" The parents all shook their heads as well, but their expressions indicated that they were all too aware of the significance of the question, and they were sickened by the possibility.

"OK, thank you."

"Are you going to put out a search party?" Brad Taylor asked, and the other two fathers waited silently for an answer.

"I've called the state police and they're setting it up."

"We want to help."

Gary nodded in understanding. "OK. As soon as they get here and get set up I'll let you know."

He thanked the group again and they all headed out, all except for Brad. He checked to make sure the rest were out of earshot and spoke to the sheriff in a low voice.

"This is an abduction, isn't it? Like that girl two towns over."

Gary thought about giving the standard "we don't know everything yet" and decided to be honest instead. "Looks like it."

"Are the rest of our children in danger, Sheriff?"

"I can't answer that, Brad, but I will be advising the community to be on alert…and to make sure their doors and windows are locked for the foreseeable future."

"Are you going to call in the feds?"

"Not until I have to. Let's just see if we can find her first."

Brad shook his head. "Navy dependent, you should call NIS."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Brad." The younger man nodded and headed out to join his family. Gary rubbed a hand over his face. He didn't have much experience working with the feds, and none at all with NIS, but he had heard plenty. He really hoped they could find the girl before he had to ask for outside help.

_***October 18th, 1991, Greenville Heights, VA 8:10 PM***_

Charlotte pushed through the front doors of Central Hospital and ran to the front desk, catching the attention of the woman sitting there.

"May I help-?"

"My son, Timothy McGee. He was brought in a few hours ago. Please tell me where he is."

"Yes, ma'am, just a moment." She typed something into her computer. "He's in room 314. Ma'am, the Sheriff need to speak to you-"

"Not now!" Charlotte turned and ran to the elevators. She pressed the button several times before the doors opened and she quickly stepped inside, turning and hitting the button for the third floor. She bounced nervously in place until the doors opened again and she rushed out, then paused to check the directory. She located her son's room and headed in that direction, terrified at what she would find when she got there.

She saw a man standing outside the room and paused when she recognized him. "Sheriff Keller?"

"Mrs. McGee, I'm glad you're here—"

"What happened to my son?"

"He was attacked by one of the other students, and—"

"Why?"

"We…aren't completely sure yet."

"What did he do to Tim?"

"Apparently he threw your son against one of the walls. Tim hit is head pretty bad, and—"

She pushed past the sheriff and finally got her first look at Tim. He opened his eyes and his expression twisted in anguish when he saw her.

"Mom, I'm so sorry…"

She quickly reached him and grabbed his hand. "It's OK, Tim. You're going to be OK."

"No, Mom…Jana…"

Charlotte's eye's widened and she turned back to the Sheriff. "What happened to Jana?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. McGee," the Sheriff replied, and then uttered the words no parent ever wants to hear. "Your daughter is missing."

TBC…

* * *

Yeah, I know I said it was going to be three chapters, but it will be four. Sorry about that.


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